This is what the band called "Wanda Music", named after our fictional character who a cool modern woman. The Wanda tracks were mostly wild yet structured, jazzy instrumentals. Carolyn is playing in a different time on the verse than everyone else but it works out somehow.

Thanks to Kat, this was digitized off an old cassette tape; the masters had bled through and stretched.

Wanda's Got New Boots

Decibel was written as a vehicle for Jo Ann to try out her Wanda Jackson stylings. Producer knew the guitar sound was too much but he lost the argument. Produced by Floyd Solders. Released by Cow-Op Productions in Denver as a cassette in a meat-container.

Thanks to Kat, this was digitized off an old cassette tape; the masters had bled through and stretched.

Decibel

This track starts with "Wanda Music" and then goes into a song called "People Like You". The Wanda tracks were mostly wild yet structured, jazzy instrumentals.

Thanks to Kat, this was digitized off an old cassette tape; the masters had bled through and stretched.

Wanda Goes To Church/People Like You

"Don't shoot until you see the whites of their eyes" --Thomas Paine.
Karen Silkwood was a whistle-blower against the nuclear industry and she was allegedly murdered by being driven off the highway into a ditch. When we were in Colorado we were active at the Rocky Flat nuclear protests. We also witnessed a bad flash flood that wiped out a nearby canyon -- it makes an appearance in this song. There was a movie about her in 1983, not sure if song was written before or after. This song dates itself by the personal-is-political approach. 

Silkwood

A song about the Warhol song Edie Sedgwick.

American Tragedy

The lyrics to Crayons were written by Need Kavedon. The musical hook in this song is Sue and Carolyn playing 'tune up' harmonics periodically.

Crayons

This is an archival live recording of the Varve live at Amelia's in San Francisco sometime between 1981 and 1984. The track features "Mondo Condo" written by Sue Varve which we often closed the set with. After that is "Make like a rock and roll", a rockabily cover song.

mondo condo-make like a rock

©1982-2013 The Varve. The Varve was born in Colorado in 1979 and moved to San Francisco in 1980. They were an all-girl band from Colorado that was formed out of two other all girl bands: The Profalactics and The Guys. The Varve played all around San Francisco until breaking up in 1985 and took a few tours to Santa Cruz, Sacramento, LA and Colorado. The band was included on a album called "Live at Le Disque", released this EP and later released "Wandafied" with 9 tracks.

This was the band's biggest hit on the college charts. Recorded at Hyde St Studio. 

The band was part of an art rock/noise scene that was big in San Francisco at the time. Guitarist is now with The Insufferables.

The Plan

©1982-2013 The Varve. The Varve was born in Colorado in 1979 and moved to San Francisco in 1980. They were an all-girl band from Colorado that was formed out of two other all girl bands: The Profalactics and The Guys. The Varve played all around San Francisco until breaking up in 1985 and took a few tours to Santa Cruz, Sacramento, LA and Colorado. The band was included on a album called "Live at Le Disque", released this EP and later released "Wandafied" with 9 tracks.

Recorded at Hyde St Studio. 

The band was part of an art rock/noise scene that was big in San Francisco at the time. Guitarist is now with The Insufferables.

Lyrics inspired by an art history course by A. Alhadeff.

Erotic Frigidaire

©1982-2013 The Varve. 
The Varve was born in Colorado in 1979 and moved to San Francisco in 1980. They were an all-girl band from Colorado that was formed out of two other all girl bands: The Profalactics and The Guys. The Varve played all around San Francisco until breaking up in 1985 and took a few tours to Santa Cruz, Sacramento, LA and Colorado. The band was included on a album called "Live at Le Disque", released this EP and later released "Wandafied" with 9 tracks.

This was the band's biggest hit on the college charts. Recorded at Hyde St Studio. 

The band was part of an art rock/noise scene that was big in San Francisco at the time. Guitarist is now with The Insufferables.

Bamboo Curtain

The Varve was a post-punk, art/noise/alternative all-girl band who started in Denver and Boulder Colorado from the wreckage of two earlier punk bands, the Profalactics and The Guys. The Varve started about the same time as the GoGo's and Bangles. They moved to San Francisco and added drummer Kat Apostrophe (formerly Urge, also Baby Buddha). 

The sound was a blend: punk/jazz/rock/post-punk and rockabilly. The band created "Wanda Music", tracks which were wild yet structured, jazzy instrumentals.

The band was an active member of the San Francisco bay area punk/alternative scene from 1980 to 1985 and had mini tours to LA and Colorado. They played with Romeo Void, the Contractions, Flipper, Two Tones, Ultimate Sammy, the Modettes, Brian Brain, Wilma, Red Rockers, Translator, and other bands at the Fab Mab, iBeam, on Broadway, Berkeley Square, Stone, Keystone, Palms, le Disque, Catalyst and elsewhere. They rehearsed at famed Iguana studios and lived in the Castro across from Translator.

The Varve released:
.  2 tracks on an LP "Live at Le Disque", 
.  a 3 song EP recorded at Hyde Street Studios produced by Michael Barbeau, and 
.  a 5 song cassette tape produced by Floyd Solders and released by Cow-Op productions in Denver.
The band also recorded demo tapes with Tom Mallon and others in Colorado.
The band made 2 videos (now lost?) and appeared on public TV.

Popular tracks by The Varve